In a vehicle such as an automobile or truck, it is very important that some means of signalling be provided to indicate when the brakes on the vehicle are being actuated to alert drivers behind the vehicle that it is about to stop. In most instances, this is accomplished by a pair of brake lights attached to the rear of the vehicle. Each light of the pair is spaced vertically a predetermined distance from the ground so that it is easily visible to drivers in back of the vehicle. Usually, each light is located a predetermined horizontal distance on either side of a longitudinl plane of symmetry passing through the vehicle. Recently, it has been common for a third brake light to be positioned between the pair of brake lights described above. Generally, that third brake light is positioned farther away from the ground than the other two. It is generally felt that such a third brake light provides a greater warning of vehicular braking.
Brakes on a vehicle are usually actuated by the depression of a brake pedal on the floor of the driver's compartment. The brake pedal is attached to a lever which rotates about a pivot point in response to a depression of the pedal by the driver. Rotation of the lever about the pivot point causes the brakes to be actuated. An electrical switch is also actuated by the rotation of the lever. The switch connects a source of electrical energy to the brake lights when the brake pedal is depressed.
There is a significant problem with such an arrangement in that it takes a significant amount of time for the brake lights to be actuated once the driver touches the brake pedal. This time delay is caused by the amount of mechanical motion that the lever associated with the brake pedal must undergo in order for the electrical switch to be closed. In this situation, drivers in the rear of the vehicle would not be apprised of the braking of the vehicle as soon as they might and unnecessary rear end collisions may result.
There have been attempts to solve this problem in the past. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,882,259, 2,674,669, 3,939,316, 4,404,439, and 4,439,650 all refer to efforts to solve the problem of time delays between the actuation of a brake pedal and the actuation of brake lights. These efforts have been unsatisfactory because they are mechanically complex, they require too much time between touching the brake pedal and actuation of the brake lights, and they are unreliable in terms of positive and definite brake light actuation every time the brake pedal is touched.
The invention of this application solves the problems of the prior art and satisfies the long felt need for a braking indicator which is fast acting, reliable, simple, and inexpensive.